Beacon of Hope
by PaigeD6
Summary: Madness has descended in the world, eight friends, and one less than friend, have two options, fight or flight. Avengers zombie au, ft. Pepper & Loki. contains clintasha, pepperony. Rated for violence and detailed gore. Cover image must be credited to johndibiase(.)com, prints can be purchased in his etsy store.
1. Chapter 1

"Hey, are you still at work?" Pepper asked. Tony took the phone away from his ear, and craned his neck until he could see the clock balanced on top of the cabinet. It was now only twenty minutes until four.

"Only for twenty more minutes, boss is letting everyone off early because of this virus thing, pretty stupid, huh?" Tony leaned back in his swivelling chair and propped his feet up on the desk.

"I don't know, Tony, scientists are saying it's true," Pepper said, Tony recognised the uncertain edge in her voice.

"Come on, Pep!" Tony protested, "They do hoaxes like this all the time!" Tony was surprised Pepper had been convinced by this, in the seventeen years he'd know her, and the five years they'd been married, Pepper hadn't taken bullshit from anyone once.

"I suppose," Pepper sounded only slightly mollified, much to Tony's dismay. She changed her tune, however.

"Anyway, I called because I need you to pick some things up for me," Pepper said. Tony resisted the urge to groan, that'd do him no good.

"I'm going out with the team tonight, you know that, tell me what you need and I'll have someone bring it to you, we've got an intern who is pretty much my bitch," Tony grinned.

"Fine," Pepper sighed, "Just don't come home drunk." Tony paged the intern while Pepper read her list out. Her pregnancy cravings were seemingly getting the best of her, as Tony wordlessly wrote down, 'fishfingers and custard'.

"Love you," Tony said, five minutes later, before hanging up. The intern walked through the door and grinned, he loved Tony endlessly.

"Fish face is trying to balance his cheque book, I think he just called up an accountant," The intern said. Tony smirked, it was well known in the office that their boss was a fool, Tony practically ran the company for him, as well as designing every single weapon that their company produced. Natasha always joked that the only thing bigger than Tony's ego, was his salary.

"List of things Pepper needs, don't ask, here's money, you know my address," Tony passed the intern, whose name he still hadn't learnt, the list and a wad of cash. It was more money than needed, but it wasn't like Tony couldn't afford it.

"Keep the change," Tony told the kid, then grabbed his phone, jacket and keys and followed him out the room.

* * *

Natasha checked her wrist watch again, she and Clint still had five minutes to get to the bar. Clint pulled her closer to him as a large group of rowdy men approached them, and Natasha instinctively hugged her purse closer to her. While Natasha didn't doubt Clint's ability to protect her, or her own self defense skills, she wasn't in the mood to argue with anyone currently.

Clint leant down after they passed and picked up a newspaper from the ground, the main headline was about the supposed zombie apocalypse that was rapidly approaching.

"Ridiculous," Clint scowled, he threw the paper in the next trash can, "This zombie thing gets more and more ridiculous."

"I don't know," Natasha debated, science had moved forwards in leaps and bound recently, what was to say there hadn't been a few mistakes along the way?

"A little slip in a lab, accidentally create this virus, before anyone can stop it, it's widespread." Natasha continued.

"Seriously, Nat?" Clint protested, he wriggled his fingers inside Natasha's hand, pressing her wedding ring against his little finger.

"Could happen," She shrugged. Clint opened his mouth to protest again, but Natasha put her finger against his lips and smiled softly.

"Drop it," Natasha commanded. Clint's mouth shut, and he returned her smile. The flickering neon sign for Kenny's blinked up ahead, not ten metres from them, so Natasha tugged her husband's hand a little and the pair of them sped up.

"Tony's already there," Clint said, flicking through his phone, "He's got us drinks."

"Ten dollars says he's already drunk mine," Natasha smirked, she and Tony often had drinking competitions, due to their similar tastes in alcohol.

"You're on," Clint held the door open for Natasha, and let her walk into the bar first. Clint's impeccable manners had always stood out for Natasha, when most males couldn't bring themselves to apologise for burping now, possibly with the exception of Steve.

* * *

Bruce stopped his taxi outside Kenny's, but paused before going in. The virus issue was pressing down on his mind. Although news stations had released official statements, the public still treated it as if it were a joke.

From what he could gather, it seemed entirely possible that this entire thing could happen, science was evolving, mutating, changing everything.

Shaking his head, Bruce pushed through the swinging door into Kenny's, and was greeted with shouts from his three friends, Clint and Natasha were just sinking down into seats. He also just caught Natasha pressing some money into Clint's hand, reluctant as she may be. Tony's eyes were already slightly glazed, but he seemed sober enough to get up and greet Bruce.

"Where's Thor and Steve?" Bruce asked, shrugging off his jacket and taking a seat at the bar. Tony pointed to a large group of men, crowded around two others. Chugging down an entire pint of beer, was Thor. The glass was quickly slammed down and another picked up. The other man, a stranger to Bruce, was clearly losing badly, as his friends jeered him. Steve was on the sidelines, smiling but not saying anything.

The slamming down of yet another glass was accompanied by a roar of noise from every man around them, and Thor raised both fists in the air in celebration.

"Five pint challenge," Tony said in explanation.

"You're still walking straight," Steve noted as he and Thor came back to the group. Thor's booming laugh filled the air, and the blonde man threw his head back.

"Those men, they claim to be the wolfpack, told me I must be one of those zombies," Thor grinned easily, "I told them they were mere mewling quims."

Bruce shook his head and laughed, Thor had been living in the states for six years, but still hadn't mastered the language.

"The zombie thing is all rubbish," Steve refuted, the two of them sat down at the bar

"We'll see, Steven," Thor's smile slackened, "We'll see." There was a small silence after that, Bruce took the opportunity to down some of his drink.

"Clint and I have something to say," Natasha announced, Bruce turned his full attention to her, Natasha wasn't one to draw attention to herself unless she had something important to say.

"We've decided to try for a baby," Natasha said with a soft smile, Bruce cheered along with everyone else, but he did catch Tony giving Clint a sympathetic pat on the back. Natasha was barely recognisable when compared to the girl Bruce had met in middle school. She'd been guarded and seemingly emotionless, she always wanted to prove herself better than the best. Then she and Bruce had made friends with the rest of the team, at this point excluding Clint, and Natasha had began dating Loki. It wasn't a healthy relationship, but then Natasha had met Clint, and she'd truly flourished into a new person.

The general noise continued in the group, and Bruce occasionally contributed, until Kenny came over.

"Hey Bruce," Kenny's usual passive eyes looked slightly more somber.

"Hey Kenny, how's business?"

"You guys are still my only regulars, but pretty good all the same," Kenny half laughed, then stopped and glanced around.

"There's riots or something going on in this area, you guys may want to head back up to Manhattan," Kenny took another cautionary sweep of the room, before whispering to Bruce, "Somethin' to do with the virus they reckon."

Bruce nodded once, he could trust Kenny with anything, the guy had been serving Bruce and the team since they'd been old enough to drink.

"Why don't we go to Daniel guys?" Bruce suggested loudly, referring to the pricey restaurant they often ate at. There was general assent, and a pile of money was started on the bar to pay for their drinks, Bruce threw in a twenty dollar bill, although his two drinks had barely come to ten, Kenny could always use the money.

"We'll get two cabs," Steve took charge, already dialling on his basic cell. If Brooklyn was supposedly descending into virus-charged riots, Bruce wanted to be out of there.

Mutating cells was the last thing he wanted to worry about now.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Natasha may seem slightly out of character, but bear with me, it's for a reason!**

* * *

Natasha laughed with the others as Tony did his best impression of a pregnant Pepper, Clint would probably tell on him at some point.

"Excuse me, miss?" A waiter tapped Natasha's shoulder, drawing her attention towards him.

"The boss would like you all to leave," He said nervously. Natasha glanced around, noting the rest of the restaurant was empty, although it was only six.

"Why?" Natasha asked quietly.

"There's rioting three blocks down from here, the boss wants to shut this place down so we can all get out," The waiter explained. Natasha nodded once, dismissing him. She shrugged her coat on and stood up.

"Rioting three blocks down, they're closing, and we're leaving," She announced, Tony was the only one to put up any form of fight.

"But guyyyssss," He whined, his eyes were glassy and Natasha could assume he'd drunk more than he could handle.

"No, we're going," Natasha instructed strictly, "Put your coat on, and stop pulling that face." Tony grumbled about it, but put his coat on all the same, and contributed to the pile of money. The jobs Clint, Natasha, Bruce and Tony held were often enough for the group to enjoy expensive nights out, despite Thor and Steve having lower paid jobs.

Not that anyone knew what Clint and Natasha actually did. Tony, being a nosey engineer and technical genius, had once tried to find out and had received a visit from the government shortly after.

Natasha led the group out, Clint's hand resting gently on the small of her back. She looked to the left as they walked out, to see three windows blow out in a fiery explosion.

"Walk quicker," Clint instructed. The group walked quickly in the opposite direction.

"We're half an hour's walk from my place," Tony suggested, sounding more sober. Natasha recalled Tony's luxurious penthouse apartment, a block away from Times Square.

"We'll keep walking until we can get a couple of taxis," Steve decided, he often made the right decision when it came to the group, "We're walking away from the rioting so it shouldn't be too bad." Natasha couldn't find any fault with that, so nodded her agreement and continued walking. She was quite fit, and could easily handle the walk, but Tony and Bruce were less so, Bruce especially.

* * *

They'd walked about halfway, then got two cabs for the remainder of the distance. Tte doorman let them all into Tony's building, and they squished into the elevator. They rode in silence until the 6th floor.

"Someone's touching my butt," Steve said quietly. Natasha resisted the urge to laugh.

"That's your butt?!" Clint spluttered out. A giggle slid through Natasha's lips, but she was silenced by a glare from Clint. There was another short silence, that was broken by Clint this time.

"Your butt feels great," He said, and Natasha didn't have to look at Clint to know that he was grinning.

"Thanks," Steve murmured.

"Does this count as cheating on me?" Natasha smirked. She was glad the easy banter between the group had returned, now they were safe and inside.

"No, I would never ever-"

"Thor! What was that?" Steve yelped. Natasha turned to face Thor in the cramped lift, Thor shrugged, not looking guilty at all.

"I was confirming Clint's opinion," He answered, "He was right." Tony was sniggering now.

"Someone get me out of this elevator," Bruce murmured, shaking his head. Luckily, the doors pinged open at that moment, and Bruce breathed a sigh of relief and quickly exited into Tony's gorgeous penthouse. Natasha followed him out, and turned the corner to see Pepper in shorts and a baggy shirt, cradling her blossoming bump.

"Oh thank God!" She raised her arms momentarily, then dropped them to her sides again. Natasha went forward and pecked Pepper's cheek, then let her sight drop to her stomach.

"How far are you now?" Natasha asked, she'd not seen Pepper in a few weeks, and her stomach seemed to have expanded massively since then.

"Start the third trimester tomorrow," Pepper smiled softly, then caught sight of Tony over Natasha's shoulder, and just like that, Natasha was dismissed as a relieved Pepper went and hugged Tony. Natasha watched Steve gaze around and turn a few circles.

"Wasn't this the Waldorf apartment in Gossip Girl?" He asked finally. Natasha snorted loudly, and Clint almost choked on his breath.

"How did you know that?" Clint wheezed.

"Beth," Steve shrugged, a blush spread across his cheeks as he referred to his recently ex-girlfriend.

"Have you seen the news?" Pepper interrupted. Natasha shook her head, and sat down on the couch next to Clint. The rolling news was already on, showing the main story with a ticker along the bottom.

"They've had seven reports of cannibalism and animalistic behaviour," Pepper said worriedly. Natasha watched the screen, recognising the street they'd been dining on less than half an hour ago. They flashed up an image of a chewed and mauled body.

"Go back!" Natasha snapped, "Back to the picture and pause." Pepper obliged, the body filled the screen. Half the face was missing, the skull exposed and a large chunk of the neck missing, but the person was still recognisable.

"That was the waiter, from Daniel," Natasha stammered, "He asked us to leave so we'd be safe." Her stomach churned, the waiter had only been young. Distantly, Natasha felt Clint's hand slide into hers and the news was unpaused, but she wasn't really thinking straight.

* * *

Steve woke up first the next morning, with a crick in his neck and an odd feeling in his gut. The luxurious couch in Tony's lounge was as good as any bed, except that, like most beds, Steve was too tall for it.

Steve pulled back the blanket and moved towards the window, keeping his footsteps gentle. The blind was closed, and as Steve went to open it, he recognised the feeling in his stomach; nerves. The final time Steve had looked out the window last night, he'd seen flames and curls of smoke in the sky.

With a deep breath, Steve lifted up the blind cautiously, then dropped it straight away.

"That bad?" Someone said behind him. Steve turned and saw Pepper stood midway down the stairs. He nodded, prompting Pepper to walk down and stand beside him.

"I don't think you should look," Steve said slowly, with a quick glance at Pepper's stomach.

"I'm sure I can handle it," She insisted. Steve had learnt before with Pepper, that she often got her own way, so he lifted the blind for her to see. Pepper gasped gently as she looked down, Steve joined her in looking down again.

The ground was littered with dead bodies, blood spilt everywhere. Although it was mainly bodies, there were seemingly alive people leaning over the bodies, which Steve took to mean the worst.

"They can't know we're here," Steve said, referring to the zombies. He took Pepper's shoulders and guided her away from the window, allowing the blind to drop. Pepper let Steve sit her on the couch and wrap a blanket round her.

Leaving Pepper there, Steve went and locked the elevator. He doubted zombies were capable of operating the elevator, but there were other factors to consider also. Steve needed the team.

* * *

A week had passed. Tony was grateful for his incredible stock of food and rooftop balcony.

They'd lost power two days ago, and the water had stopped working yesterday. The portable and battery powered radio hadn't yet revealed anything news, just repeating the same safety warnings it usually did.

His main worry was Pepper, and their unborn son. But she insisted she was okay, so there was nothing he could do there. They were all sat in the lounge, Bruce scrawling something in a notebook, Tony talking to Pepper's stomach, and everyone else playing cards, when the radio crackled and the voice changed. Everyone dropped their occupation and Thor turned the radio up slightly.

"Calling any survivors, of any state. The government has fallen, the President is dead. The zombie situation has currently been contained only to America. If you have the means to do so, head to Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado. Safety is in the Rocky Mountains, this is the pickup point. If this is unachievable, make some form of signal on your rooftop, helicopters are unlikely to be dispatched for at least two weeks. Good luck," The radio crackled again, before the message was repeated in the same militaristic voice. There was silence for a moment.

"I think we should go," Natasha spoke first. Tony's mind whirred ahead to every possibility, possible ambush, zombie attack, food becoming contaminated. Each thought he applied to Pepper, and in her current state, she survived very little of them.

"No," Tony said aloud. He was instantly outvoted by everyone, including Pepper.

"What if something happens to you though, Pep?" He pleaded. Pepper looked at him sternly.

"Two weeks, Tony," She said, "Something could happen here in two weeks, we could run out of food and it doesn't look like it's going to rain anytime soon, we only have so much bottled water."

"I would like to try and find my brother first," Thor said, unnaturally quiet. There was silence as everyone glanced at Natasha. She remained impassive.

"Loki can't be trusted, not after what he did to Nat," Clint said, snaking a possessive arm around Natasha.

"Loki has changed!" Thor protested, "If there is a chance my brother is alive I would like to know."

"Try his cell," Tony conceded, Thor was very defensive of his brother, and would stand up for him to the end of the world. Thor nodded his thanks and picked up the cell they were using, they'd decided to all turn their phones off and only use one at a time to conserve battery.

"Loki?" Thor asked a minute later. Tony could only half hear the voice from the phone, but Thor's continuing nodding suggested that Loki had picked up.

"We'll be there soon," Thor said, then hung up, "He is okay." Thor announced.

"Oh good!" Clint snarled sarcastically.

* * *

Clint tightened his grip on his gun as they jogged down the stairs towards the garage. Natasha ran next to him, both had guns poised to shoot. Steve and Thor stood directly behind them, both armed and ready also. Steve had made the decision to put Tony, Bruce and Pepper at the back to protect them, but everyone was armed.

"Be ready, keep your wits about you," Steve instructed as they hit the second floor, "If it's full of zombies, Thor and I will clear it from the doorway. If we can't see anything, Natasha and Clint, you press forward, Bruce, Mrs Potts, Stark, move forward into the middle, Thor and I will take the back guard."

There was silence as they halted outside the door to the underground garage, it had taken ten minutes to get down the emergency staircase. Clint gestured for Natasha to stand on the other side of the door. She obliged, and Clint slowly opened the door and stepped through, Natasha following him.

"Nothing," Clint confirmed, his stellar eyesight couldn't pick anything out. Clint flicked the light switch on and off, nothing happened.

"Flashlights," Natasha turned the flashlight atop her gun on, and Clint copied her.

"Move outwards, basic sweep, look for something like a minivan," Clint instructed.

"Guy on floor 3 had a junior football team, used to use a 12 seat minibus," Tony called from behind, Clint nodded and began scanning the garage for the bus.

"Got it!" Natasha called a minute later. Clint heard footsteps behind him and swung round, gun raised. He wasn't quick enough for the tackle that followed.

"Zombie!" He shouted, trying to keep the snapping teeth away from his jugular. Blood and saliva dripped down onto Clint's face, and he resisted the urge to retch. White eyes gleamed savagely as the zombie continued to snarl and struggle on top of Clint. Once, it had been a man, and was wearing a security guard's outfit. The weight of the guy kept Clint pinned down, and his gun lay beside his head.

"Coming!" Natasha shouted back, and Clint only had to wait another three seconds before a gunshot was fired and the zombie stopped struggling. It fell on Clint, and he awkwardly pushed it off.

"Headshot, or decapitation," Clint breathed, the information coming back to him from the radio broadcasts. Natasha's face appeared in his line of sight, smirking slightly.

"Forget that, did we?"

"Nice shot," Clint groaned and pushed himself up, grabbing his gun as he did so. Bruce appeared, handed Clint a scrap of cloth then proceeded to ignore him in favour of examining the inanimate zombie body. Clint wiped his face, then followed Natasha to the minibus.

"This sucks," Tony declared when they got back.

"It's only going to get worse,"


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Sorry I've been gone so long, I've not even read this through twice and it was done with a very large gap between two halves. SORRRRRRYYY PLEASE LOVE ME. Oh god.**

* * *

Natasha sat in between Thor and Clint in the front three seats, Clint driving and Thor half bellowing instructions to Loki's apartment, although Natasha could have given him the directions herself. Loki and Natasha had been in a relationship for three months when he'd first started acting funny with her, becoming more overprotective slowly, until it turned into obvious possessive behaviour. Every time Natasha spoke to a guy at school, he'd threaten the guy or interrogate Natasha.

"You can stay in the car," Clint offered. Natasha shook her head, her and Loki happened years ago, she was capable of seeing him.

"I'm the second best shot you've got, you need me," Natasha said, she loaded her gun as they rounded the corner to Loki's apartment. Thor picked up his gun too, and Natasha could hear Steve loading his semi-automatic pistol.

"We should stop by ours," Clint suggested, Natasha guessed he was wanting access to their excessive stock of weapons.

"There's a gun shop three blocks from here, less central, closer," Natasha told him, she'd visited there more than once.

"You ready?" Clint pulled the minibus onto the kerb, as close the the apartment building door as possible.

"Lock the doors, but be ready to let us back in," Natasha instructed Bruce, who was sat closest to the sliding door.

"How do we know if it's you?" Tony asked, unnaturally quiet.

"You know what we look like," Steve sounded confused, and Natasha couldn't blame him.

"No, you you," Tony said. Clint cleared his throat.

"The eyes, white iris," He said quietly. There was a nod from Bruce, then Steve quietly slid open the door and stepped out, he turned two whole circles, before beckoning the others out. Bruce slid the door closed as Thor opened the other door. Natasha followed him out, her gun held in two hands. The Glock 18 had always been her weapon of choice, a semi-automatic held in one hand or two with an easy mag change. She patted the two spare mags she had strapped to her belt, better to be overcautious, although she hoped not to be firing too many.

"Turn your phone on Bruce," Clint said, lifting his up as he did so. Bruce signalled his lit up phone, and Clint joined Natasha by the door. Natasha pushed open the door to Loki's building and stepped through first, gun lifted.

"Clear," She confirmed when nothing jumped out on them. Steve closed the door behind them and Natasha jabbed the lift button hopefully with her thumb.

"It'll be a citywide power out Nat," Clint said, moving past her to the stairs. Natasha sighed, at least she wouldn't get unfit during all this.

"Third floor," Natasha said, jogging past Clint. Thor was at her side, matching her pace with his gun ready. Natasha took the safety off her gun as they rounded up to the second floor.

"I don't think anyone's here but Loki," Clint hissed from behind Natasha, "Surely we'd have heard something by now."

"We'll find out," Natasha said. She glanced around the corner, down the hallway of the third floor.

"Loki is in 3c," Thor says in a hushed voice, nothing that Natasha doesn't already know. She still lets Thor lead the way though, not out of fear for undead, but for what lies behind the door of 3c.

* * *

Clint followed Natasha and Thor, Steve behind him. Thor tapped lightly on Loki's door, then gently called his name. The door opened slightly, Loki's face appeared in the gap.

"Show me your eyes," He commanded. Clint reluctantly stepped closer to Loki, and wordlessly allowed the flashlight to be shone in his eyes. Loki nodded, the door closed and opened again a moment later. Clint put an arm on Natasha's lower back as they walked through the door. Despite his imminent rescue, Loki managed to look as sulky as ever.

"Brother!" Thor grinned, enveloping Loki in a hug as soon as the door closed, "It's good to see you!"

Loki squirmed out of Thor's arms and brushed off his black, leather jacket, like Thor had covered him in dirt.

"Why did you come here, I told you on the phone I was safe here," Loki hissed, "They'll be following you."

"Loki, please," Thor protested, "We made sure we weren't followed."

"If it makes you feel any better, I didn't want to get you," Clint put in, he'd been building up sarcastic and cutting remarks since they got in the door, so it was a miracle only that came out.

"Those with a lower IQ than the average pigeon cannot be blamed for their simpleness," Loki snarked, then his eyes flitted to Natasha, eliciting a small smirk. Clint wrapped his arm tighter around Natasha, although she seemed unbothered.

The phone in Clint's back pocket began vibrating, and Clint was forced to release Natasha and fish it out. Bruce was calling, not that Clint had been expecting anyone else.

"Yeah?" Clint said upon answering.

"You've got company, four zombies just went in, and I can just about see ten more coming around the corner," Bruce whispered, "We're hiding in bus, they must've seen you go in, I don't think they ca- JESUS!"

"Bruce?" Clint asked, there was fumbling on the other end of the line and thudding.

"I'm back," Bruce whispered again, "They can't smell us, they just caught sight of Tony and his poor hiding skills. But seriously, you need to get out."

Clint hung up and slid the phone back into his pocket.

"Zombies, Bruce reckons about fourteen," Clint announced. Loki rolled his eyes.

"Well done, you insolent fools followed the whim of my more foolish brother, who, I'd like to add, wouldn't be in this situation if he hadn't followed me to America in the first place,"

"Whatever, resolve your family issues later," Natasha said coldly, speaking for the first time since they'd entered the apartment, "If you want to make it to later, you're going to follow me down the fire escape." There was a silence, only interrupted by thumping on the door. Clint followed Natasha's gaze to the door.

"I'd bet my left nut that that's not Bruce," Clint joked weakly, though it'd definitely be worse if it was Bruce, because that could only mean one thing. Natasha turned her head back to Clint, then grabbed his hand and led him down a corridor she obviously knew well. She flung open the window at the end and climbed out onto the fire escape. Clint followed her, and Steve, Thor and Loki appeared behind him.

"We're going down, round the corner, straight into the bus, Clint text Bruce and let him know we're coming," Natasha instructed.

-Coming down fire escape, be ready. There was a lapse of a minute before Clint got a reply.

-We're waiting. Clint gave Natasha the thumbs up as an affirmative, she nodded and began jogging down the stairs, Clint followed her without waiting for anyone else. They got to the first floor quickly, where Natasha stopped.

"Ladder is broken," She stated. Clint glanced around, then spotted the dumpster a couple of metres from their elevated place on the balcony.

"Should be able to jump into the dumpster, trash should offer a reasonable cushion," Clint whispered to Natasha. She sighed, but climbed onto the railing all the same. Natasha took a breath before throwing herself forward toward the dumpster. Her toe clipped the side, but she landed in the dumpster all the same. Clint waited for her to move out of the way before balancing himself on the railing and copying her. He slightly overshot and almost landed on Natasha, who gently tapped him on the shoulder. Loki landed next, and instantly pulled a face.

"What's wrong?" Clint smirked, "Can't handle a little trash?" Loki glared at Clint then tugged on something. Eventually it came free, and it, was a chewed up human arm. There was silence, Clint looked up at Thor and Steve, who were as equally agape as the three of them in the dumpster. Steve shook his head and pushed past Thor, then did an athletic jump straight to the ground. Thor followed suit, and the pair of them helped the others from the dumpster.

"I'm surprised you wanted a hand, Loki," Clint grinned, causing Natasha to snort with laughter. Loki cursed under his breath, only making Clint smile wider. But now it was game time, so Clint wiped the grin from his face and approached the corner.

Three zombies were banging against the window of the minibus, although Clint couldn't see anyone inside.

"Three, up against the minibus," Clint whispered, "I'll run out, draw their attention, you get in and I'll join you." He felt Natasha grab his hand and turned to her.

"Clint-"

"Natasha," Clint said firmly. He could tell from her twisted face that she wasn't happy, but she nodded anyway. Clint kissed her gently, then looked up at the others and nodded. He turned back around, and dashed out, waving his arms around wildly.

"Look at me, aren't I delicious!" He shouted. It worked, all three zombies came running towards him, waving their arms and snarling. Clint stared them down and carried on shouting. In the corner of his vision he spotted Thor, Steve and Loki running towards the van, but no Natasha. Clint shot the zombie closest to him and ran around the others, they didn't seem too bright but turned quickly. Clint caught sight of Natasha waiting for him by the side of the building.

"Why aren't you in the van?!" He yelled. Natasha began moving toward him, and they met three foot from the sliding door. Clint grabbed her hand and jumped up into the van. no sooner had he done so than Natasha was ripped from his grasp. He spun and saw her wrestling against a zombie's grip.

"Nat!" Clint yelled. He saw the remainder of the zombies coming down the stairs, and apparently so did Loki.

"Leave her!" Loki screamed from behind him, "We will all die, if you do not leave her!" Loki was probably right, but Clint was not going to listen to him or agree with him. He jumped from the bus and immediately shot a zombie to his left, it dropped, dead. Or rather, deader. Natasha was still fighting off the snapping teeth as Clint fired shot after shot into the crowd of zombies.

The bus door was slammed shut, but it sounded oddly far away as Clint and Natasha became swarmed. Where packed bodies were normally warm, these bodies were cold. The only heat he could feel came from Natasha. But it wasn't the odd coldness that made Clint want to shut down as he fought off the zombies around him, it was the smell.

Blood. On their breath, dribbling from eye sockets and stuck under their nails. It made him want to lay down and let them have him, but he saw a flash of Natasha's hair and shook himself. Not today, not today was he dying. Clint shot close range, threw punches and generally did everything possible to create a space. Then he saw his shot, Natasha couldn't shoot the zombie on her without hitting herself or letting it bite her. But every time she flung her head back, Clint had a shot.

He didn't think, he just shot. Natasha screamed, and blood erupted from somewhere. But the zombie dropped, and Natasha stood incredulously looking at Clint. He grabbed her again and spun towards the bus, the door was flung open. They were almost in when Clint saw the teeth coming towards them. They both shot, and blood and various parts of head showered over them. Clint dived into the bus and dragged Natasha in with him. The door was slammed shut, and the remainder of the zombies were left pounding against the windows as Tony drove away, screeching the tyres.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: I didn't realise that all my formatting had disappeared from the last chapter when I uploaded it, sorry guys. Here you are though. Maybe review this, or recommend it? I'd love some more readers (needy clingy girl sorry).**

* * *

Clint can't quite catch his breath until he can no longer see a horde of screaming zombies behind him, and when he does, the next thing he feels is anger. He turns to Loki, sat in a seat behind him.

"Leave her?!" Clint shouts at him, "You ask me to leave my wife to cannibals who will tear her to pieces, just so you can be safe, when she was only there because we risked our lives saving your sorry ass!" Red is clouding Clint's vision now. Natasha has a gentle grip on his arm, her warning sign.

"I didn't ask you to save me." Loki says coolly, "On the contrary, I would hardly calling it 'saving' me, when I was at no risk prior to your arrival."

"You would've died eventually, you know it." Clint spits. Natasha's grip tightens, and he concedes, turning back around in his seat. It doesn't do anything to change the hostility in the air though, he can feel the tension between himself and Loki, and the awkwardness everyone else feels.

"Are you all okay?" Bruce asks eventually. There is general assent, but Clint accepts Bruce's offer of a hanky anyway. He lets Natasha use it first, guiding her hand to the blood she can't see. The shot he'd fired has grazed the side of her face and ear, but the blood had already clotted, and it wasn't until Clint cleaned away the dried blood that it became apparent that Clint's bullet had cost Natasha the tip of her ear. He told her so, and she shrugged.

"You can't feel it?" Clint raised an eyebrow. Natasha reached up, and gently stroked the part of her ear that was gone. She flinched slightly.

"Only when I touch it, I'll probably feel it later." Natasha says, and Clint can tell from the tone in her voice she doesn't care, and allows her to dismiss the subject. She takes the hanky from him, and begins mopping Clint's face up with a clean area of the hanky.

"You almost shut down." Natasha says quietly. Clint nods, he feels ashamed. He let the panic take over, and it almost cost him his own life, and Natasha's.

"They were cold," Clint whispers, refusing meet Natasha's eyes, "and their breath smelt of blood, Nat, human blood." Natasha stops wiping blood away, and her hands drop to Clint's cheeks. She lifts his head up until he is forced to return her gaze.

"This is monsters and mutants and nothing we were ever trained for." Natasha tells him gently, then kisses him. She is too accepting of Clint's faults, he decides. He lets her continue wiping his face. When she is done, Natasha leans on him and eventually falls asleep. Clint strokes circles on her back, she looks younger and more vulnerable asleep, and the complete opposite of the girl he'd first met over a decade ago. Clint cranes awkwardly and takes a quick glance at Loki, who seems bored to tears of Thor's story. Confirming he is safe, Clint turns back around and lets his eyes close. While this feels better, Clint doubts he'll sleep. The seat covering itches the back of his neck, and every so often he hears a snarl. Twenty minutes later, he is proven wrong, Clint falls asleep.

* * *

_"Give it up, Barton, I'm not going on a date with you." Natasha sighs, this isn't the first time Clint has heard this answer, but he knows this will be the last, because it's the last time he's going to ask. Clint is persistent, but he isn't a complete douchebag, he's not forcing Natasha to go anywhere. She quickens her walking and squares her shoulders, meaning that Clint must obviously pursue her._

_"Come on, beautiful girls like you need to give the poor guys like me a chance." Clint protests with a grin, he jumps in front of her and starts walking backwards to see her face. Natasha smiles slightly at the ground, then look back up at him coldly. It no longer fazes Clint, people who have suffered like her do not let their guard down easily, Clint respects that and relates._

_"I'm sure you could never impress me." She tells him. Natasha attempts to push past him, but he grabs her wrist and spins her toward him again. She looks outraged at the contact, and tries to snatch her wrist away. Clint is sure that he should let her go, but goes against this instinct and holds her._

_"One shot, Natasha, that's all I'm asking." Clint says softly, looking in her eyes. Natasha's face softens, then her body goes stiff again and tugs her wrist away, Clint lets her. She turns and walks into the sea of people in the crowded corridor._

_"7pm, Natasha, outside the shooting range, I'll be waiting!" Clint shouts after her. In response, Natasha raises her middle finger to him without turning around. But Clint smiles, now he knows she has heard him. Natasha carries on walking, and Clint stands and watches until the red curls disappear down a flight of stairs._

* * *

Natasha watches Clint jolt awake, he looks around, confused for only a second, then turns to her.

"How long was I out for?" He asks, then yawns with bleary eyes. Natasha waits for him to focus before answering.

"Two hours," She says, "Bruce wants to stop at a lab he knows, it's on the Iowa Missouri border." Clint looks momentarily confused, then looks away. When he looks up again, Natasha can tell he has his confidence back. Extreme situations have that effect on him, he occasionally panics, sometimes loses someone, but afterwards he comes back with a vengeance that has a greater effect than a nuclear bomb.

"Stop at the lab, Bruce," Clint announces, "I trust you." Everyone turns to Steve, who nods his assent. Bruce, who has swapped Tony in the drivers seat, smiles slightly.

"I thought you said I was only out for two hours?" Clint asks Natasha, gazing out the window. She understands his confusion, but so far the entire I-80W had been empty, bar some abandoned cars and bodies.

"The roads are empty Clint." Natasha said softly. Realisation crosses Clint's face and he nods slowly.

"Okay, that's so far the only thing that's gone in our favour."

* * *

It is dark when they arrive at the lab Bruce mentioned, Tony lights up his watch face and it tells him that it is almost midnight. There are three separate buildings, one bigger than the rest, and all are contained on a base surrounded by a ten foot high chain link fence, topped with barbed wire, like icing on a high-security cake.

"Gates are closed." Steve observes, and Tony resists the urge to roll his eyes at such a simple remark, that definitely wasn't required.

"Keypad is lit up though." Natasha adds, and Tony quickly realise that this means there is power. It takes everyone else a second longer.

"How do they-" Steve starts, Tony interrupts before he can finish.

"Potentially have their own generator, or might just be a separate grid." Bruce confirms this by pointing out a generator on the side of the building, then pulls up to the keypad and types in a four digit code. A green light comes on, and the gates open. Tony tenses slightly, the green light will no doubt attract attention, as the landscape is flat and otherwise seemingly lifeless. Bruce steers the van through the gates, and puts a four metre difference between the van and the front door.

"Before we all get out, let me tell you the plan." Bruce undoes and seat belt and climbs over his seat to join everyone else. Tony already trusts Bruce, the guy is his closest friend, and while he's no tactician, he's just as smart as Tony.

"We're going to cut between the main building and the one to the right to the back of the main building. I have a key for one of the doors back there because it's right next to my office, we'll go in through there, go to my office and I'll lock us in. I don't want to search around the building while it's dark, and I don't want the lights on during the night because that'll just be making ourselves a target. That's all you need to know for now." Tony nods, he already agrees. The plan sounds good enough to him, and it means Pepper can rest properly.

"Good plan," Steve says, using his authoritative voice, "Thor, you lead out, then Bruce, Loki, Pepper and Tony, Clint, Natasha and I'll take the back." The sliding door is opened, and Thor jumps out, gun ready. Nothing happens, so Bruce follows, then Loki, and then Tony is helping Pepper out, and gets his first breath of fresh air in over a week. Bruce gives Thor instructions on where to go once everyone is ready and the minivan locked, and the group begin walking slowly.

Tony's heart is in his mouth as they creep between the two buildings. There is a noise to his right. Everyone's heads shoot that way, and there is a pause. Tony holds his breath. Cautiously, Natasha shines a dimmed light on the space. Another pause, then a rabbit hops out from behind a patch of higher grass. There is a collective sigh of relief, then Natasha is creeping towards it. With much coaxing, the rabbit allows itself to be picked up. There is a sort of crunching noise, then Natasha is returning with a dead rabbit.

"Still smells of blood, what's to say a zombie isn't gonna go for it?" She offers by way of explanation. It's faultless logic, but still creeps Tony out. They walk another metres until Bruce stops them and unlocks a door. Bruce's office is literally just inside the door, so they don't encounter anyone. Tony guides Pepper to one of the two couches and helps her lie down on it.

"Baby still feeling okay?" He asks her as he sits on the floor beside her. Pepper nodded and ran a finger along the bump. They hadn't named it yet, but it was definitely a boy. Pepper closed her eyes, and Tony left her be. The room was quiet, and Tony took the chance to look around. There was another identical couch, the same black leather with metallic feet, that Clint and Natasha had commandeered, a bookcase against a wall, and a desk, as well as the potted plant that was mandatory in every office. Clint and Natasha were facing each other on the couch, whispering about something, Loki was sulking in the corner, and Bruce was talking to Steve and Thor, pointing at something on his desk. Tony left them to it, and closed his eyes.

* * *

When Steve woke up, all he could smell was feet. All was revealed, literally, when he opened his eyes and saw Thor's socked feet merely an inch from his face. Steve waited until he had sat up to inhale, which was a good decision. Steve was the first up, but he'd barely been awake two minutes when Clint and Natasha began to stir as well. The backpack containing the group's food sat by the door, and he went to move to get it, but stopped when Natasha hissed his name.

"Turn really slowly and look out the window." She whispered. Steve obliged, it felt like an eternity, but he eventually saw what she already could. A zombie. Stood five feet from the window, looking questioningly at the ground, but thankfully facing slightly away from them. It had once been a woman, Steve had stopped thinking of them as people, it wore a ravaged lab coat, blood-stained, and hair that had once been in a ponytail half hung out of the band.

"Close the blind." Clint whispered. Steve nodded and crouched, he moved awkwardly over the three sleeping bodies to the window. Once there, he pushed himself against the wall next to the window, he couldn't see it, it couldn't see him.

"Tell me if it looks this way." Steve said, then reached to get the blind cord. He pulled, and gently let the cord go up.

"Stop." Clint said suddenly. Steve froze, his heart was beating faster than it had any right to, and every muscle in his body was tense, as a silence reigned.

"What is it doing?" Steve whispered.

"Just looking, I think it thinks we're dead." Clint answered, "It's moving away, to the front of the building. Drop the blind." Steve did so, then sighed with relief.

"Well, that was ridiculously tense." Tony said quietly. Steve looked back down at the room, and saw everyone awake, watching him, even Loki looked less sulky than usual.

"Let's go get that one." Thor said, somber for once. Steve nodded and shoved his feet into his shoes.

"Hold up," Tony raised a hand, "Where are you going, and what did that mean?"

"I need to study one, to see if we can find a cure or a vaccination of sorts," Bruce answered, "I've asked Steve and Thor to get me one to study, then we're all going to relocate to my lab."

"Hey, guys," Natasha said, Steve turned to her, just in time to catch a dead rabbit, "Let me know if it works." She added. Steve nodded and put the rabbit in his left hand, then grabbed his gun in his right. Bruce came to the door to let them out.

"Good luck." He said. Steve smiled weakly and went into the corridor, Thor less than a metre behind him. The door to the outside wasn't locked, so Steve pushed it open a crack and peered out.

"It's less than five metres from us, facing away." Steve whispered. The fact it was facing away was a stroke of luck. Steve dropped the rabbit by the door, it didn't look like he'd need it.

"You tackle it to the ground, I'll tie the bag over it's head." Thor said. Steve edged out of the door, holding it open for Thor. The hot air hit him quickly. He resisted the urge to gasp in the new environment. Thor picked up a rock from the ground and used it to prop open the door, then looked at Steve and nodded. Steve went before he could lose his nerve. He flung his body forwards and jumped, arms outstretched. The body was cold, light and too squishy. There was cracking, presumably ribs. Thor appeared and tugged a bin liner over it's head. It wasn't human anymore, Steve reminded himself as he pushed the squirming body down with his weight.

"Let's go." Thor said, and wrapped a beefy arm under a shoulder of the zombie. Steve jumped up and hooked his arm under the other shoulder. Between them, they easily lifted it up, despite the thrashing, and into the building. Steve ignored the snarling and knocked quietly three times on the door to Bruce's lab. The door opened a crack, Bruce checked their eyes and let them in.

"Easy enough." Bruce said. Thor took the whole weight of the zombie and held it to the floor.

"Rabbit work?" Natasha inquired.

"Didn't use it, I left it by the door, I'll grab it though, give us the key Bruce, I'll lock the other door while I'm there." Steve said, Bruce handed him the keys and Steve headed back out.

His blood ran cold instantly. The rabbit was gone. Steve locked the door and headed back to the office, in a daze. He locked the office door behind him and turned to the group.

"You're a bit pale, Cap." Tony remarked. Steve swallowed.

"The rabbit's gone, we got company."


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: I'm still alive. Okay I'm sorry it's short and I was gone, but I really liked the end of this chapter, the last line was too perfect for me to make it longer. Don't shoot me. ****(so much foreshadowing in this a/n)**

* * *

"We knew the risks, we still have to move." Bruce says straight away. Clint is nodding his agreement, there was no point coming here if they were just going to stay scared at the first problem. Besides, the writhing zombie in the corner was making Clint slightly skittish. Steve had tied it up with clear tape, the kind that wouldn't stick to a wall or piece of paper but always managed to get stuck to your skin.

"But Pepper-"

"Shut up Tony," Pepper snaps, "Let's go." Clint snorts and earns a glare from Tony, but it's worth it because it's the first time he's seen 'ballbuster Pepper'. Pepper gets to her feet as easily as she can and looks around expectantly.

"I'll lead." Steve says, picking up his gun. Clint jumps to his feet quickly and stops him.

"No, I will," He looks at everyone individually and they look back, "I have the most experience with them up close." Steve looks at Clint's hand on his chest, prompting Clint to remove it, then he looks back up at Clint.  
Clint_ has_ to do this, prove he isn't afraid. Because he's not, not anymore. The first time he killed a person, he felt terrible remorse, and suffered brutally because of it. But time moved on, and Clint became impervious to the afterthoughts of each target's death. He was an assassin, and so he got used to it. He didn't have a choice. That was what this was like, he'd just needed to adjust.

Steve gestures with his gun that Clint should take the lead, and Clint sighs with relief inwardly.

"We're going down a flight of stairs that are straight ahead, then take the second left, at the end of that corridor is the lab I want," Bruce says, "I'll remind you when we get to them." Clint nods and takes the safety off his weapon. Thor picks up the zombie and easily slings it over his shoulder. Bruce unlocks the office door and drops back behind Clint.

Clint steps out into the corridor, gun raised, and scans it quickly. The stairs are less than ten metres from him, with no visible obstacle in between. Then he looks at the floor, and there are little splashes of blood here and there.

"Definitely got company," Clint says to himself mostly, but Bruce looks over his shoulder at the floor and agrees anyway. Clint steps forward regardless, slowly, with the gun still raised. There is a corridor perpendicular to the one Clint currently walks through, meaning when he gets to the stairs, he's going to have to check both ways quickly. He reaches the end and stops, checking behind him. Natasha is watching him, so Clint makes a head jerk, gesturing her to come up. She obliges, and understands when Clint points to the wall opposite him. She presses her back to it, and Clint does the same opposite her. He counts down with his fingers. They both swing out, and there is a gunshot almost instantly. But nothing is on Clint's side, so he spins. Natasha has a zombie a mere metre from her, slumped over a rabbit.

"Good work," Clint says quietly and grins. Natasha turns back to him with a smile then drops back behind him, so Clint starts walking again. The stairs are not lit up, so he switches on his flashlight. Then it occurs to him that this is only going to draw attention to them, dims the beam slightly. It is not enough, he knows, but it is better than nothing. He continues down the stairs, it feels like it gets darker as they descend into the basement, but that's probably Clint beginning to lose it. They reach the bottom and pass the first corridor.

"Stop here," Bruce says, and Clint obliges. Bruce puts his hands to the wall and moves them until he finds a fuse box. He opens it and gestures for Clint to shine the flashlight over the panel.

"Runs on a separate circuit," Bruce says, and flips a switch on and off, "Fuse tripped." Bruce is proven right when the lights flicker on less than a second later. Clint switches off his flashlight and pats Bruce on the back, in that super manly way. He rounds the corner to the corridor Bruce mentioned before and walks to the end. Clint stands in front of the door and Natasha to the side. He kicks the door open and holds his gun up. Nothing comes out. Clint still goes in first to switch the light on. Nothing.

"Clear," He calls out, and everyone follows him in.

* * *

Clint and Natasha watch Tony and Pepper arguing from their corner. They've been there three hours. Bruce has been pouring over notes for three hours, occasionally saying something, or analysing the blood he took from the zombie. Pepper and Tony are arguing about space, Clint can't help but overhear, and Pepper wants a quick walk alone. Tony, for obvious reasons doesn't want her to go, and Clint agrees with him. But it's not his place to say, so he and Natasha stay quiet.

Eventually, Pepper wins. Tony has a quick word with Steve, who then leaves and returns five minutes later. Clint catches the words 'it's clear', and Pepper is handed a gun. She leaves, taking care to quietly shut the door. Tony slumps in the corner, obviously physically and mentally tired. Natasha squeezes Clint's leg, then gets up and joins Tony. She says something, and Tony smiles weakly. Clint leaves her to it, she's good at talking to Tony, and joins Steve in the corner.

"Why'd she want to be alone?" Clint asks Steve.

"Tony didn't tell me," Steve says uncomfortably. Clint raises his eyebrows.

"But you overheard," Clint pushes. Steve sighs and nods.

"She wanted to breathe," Steve says, "Sick of Tony fawning all over her. She... she doesn't want the baby born into this world. I don't know women, Clint, but I know Pepper. And she loves that baby already, things must be bad for her if she doesn't want it to be born." Steve shakes his head and looks at Tony, who is now visibly holding back tears. Clint opens his mouth to speak, but he's interrupted. By a scream. A woman's scream.

Clint's head snaps round to Natasha, and it takes him less than a second to sprint past Tony and Nat into the corridor. There's another scream, Clint follows it to the end of the corridor and to the right. There are footsteps pounding on the linoleum close behind Clint, but he keeps running. He arrives at Pepper, and Tony, Natasha and Steve crash into him as they catch up. They all freeze, as they have arrived just in time to see Pepper have her porcelain coloured neck being bitten into. Clint doesn't hesitate now, he is confident. He fires before Pepper's jugular can be torn out. The bullet tears through the zombie's skull. He, _it_, has it's brains blown against the wall. Pepper is hyperventilating and staring at Tony, lying awkwardly on her back. The gun lies just out of reach of her outstretched hand, and Clint can picture what happened. She walks, she turns. Pepper is tackled to the ground, the gun knocked from her hand then. She fights the zombie long enough to scream. And then she doesn't.

Tony walks slowly to Pepper, and drops to his knees next to her. Pepper smiles weakly and snivels, her composure gone.

"He would've had your mind, you know," She says, "Brilliant, impossible to understand, _genius._" Clint finds Natasha's hand and squeezes. Tony nods slowly, and helps Pepper to lie in his lap. As he moves her, Pepper gasps, and blood trickles from between her legs.

"I fell on my stomach at first," Pepper says, and there are tears in her eyes, because she knows her child has gone.

"Pepper, I love you. I never said it enough," Tony manages, "I wanted to protect you, the one thing I can't live without. And our boy. You are all that matters. I know you didn't want him to have to live in this world, not like this, but I wanted to hold him, Pep, to feel his heartbeat." Tears trickle down Pepper's face now, and she nods.

"Me too, I love you," She says, and it has an air of finality. Tony nods and continues to hold her.

"Tony," Steve says awkwardly. Because it's almost time, that time is almost up. Pepper will soon no longer be Pepper. Her dying child will no longer be a human. They are both lost. And it _hurts_. It's worse than death, Clint realises. Because death means it's over, that the person has gone, has left. But to become a zombie? A mindless beast with a one track mind? It is worse. Pepper will be stuck between life and death, no longer able to recognise her loved ones as anything but a human Happy Meal. But the worst part is the wait. Waiting for your loved one to turn into that, to be forced to watch them change.

Pepper pushes herself away from Tony, so she is leaning up against the wall. She crosses her legs and puts on her business face. Pepper is Pepper again, to the end. Tony strokes her face, kisses her cheek, dabs uselessly at her bleeding neck.

"I love you," He says. Pepper pushes him away, and Tony joins Clint, Natasha and Steve. And they wait. Pepper is smiling, trying to do that reassuring thing.

"Steve, I want you to find someone to love. Don't let Bruce be alone too much either. And make sure Thor always has something to smile about. Clint, Natasha, I am _proud_. Don't let what you lose stop you from gaining, you two must _always_ stay together," She says. Then she gasps, her eyes close and her head lolls forward. Tony sobs loudly.

It is another minute before the head flies back up, the eyes reopen. But they are white. They are not Pepper.

Clint shoots.


End file.
